Beware Evil Spirits in Deep Waters
by Cresentgenisi
Summary: Mai knows she never wants to go ghost hunting on a beach again. So when her new boss Madoka accepts a case at a beach, Mai immediately begins to fear something bad will happen. Her powers no longer work. Gene is gone. Naru and Lin have returned to England. How will she survive? Plus now that Naru is gone, who will appreciate the bikini she just bought?
1. Prologue

**Author's Note**: Even though I have started back to school, I had to start writing on this story. It was just in my head, and I could not stop it. I hope I can make it as good as my last story, which I have not yet finished. This opening is super short since the first chapter of my last story was so long. Enjoy!

_**Prologue**_

Pummeled by waves, a piece of driftwood caught in the ocean tide made its way to a quiet bay. As it moved closer to shore, a hand reached out of the water to clasp the wood. Both disappeared under the surface….

_I was drowning._

_Can anyone hear me?_

_Please._

_Can anybody help me?_

But nobody came.

Later a body was found. The young girl had short black hair and was dressed in a kimono. Her features were unrecognizable. The authorities later said the cold water would have preserved the body if the fish had not started eating it…


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's note:** In the book's timeline, this is the first case Madoka handles after Naru and Lin leave for England with Gene's body.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt or the characters, but I admire the creator's work.

_**Chapter 1: Don't Relax! Naru-chibi's Story**_

"Where are the ghost hunters?"

I looked down at the little boy who stood on the porch of the cabin. He was a cute little thing about five with curly brown hair and blue eyes. Some freckles sprinkled his nose. His cheeks were slightly sunburned giving his face an artificial cherub look.

"I am a ghost hunter." I said with pride.

The boy looked at me in cool appraisal.

"You aren't a real ghost hunter! You are a girl… Stop pretending."

_Why you? _I suddenly wanted to slam the door in the kid's face. In his one statement, my confidence had evaporated.

"I need to get rid of a ghost," said the boy impatiently.

"And how did you know there are ghost hunters here?"

"My dad said there were a bunch of fake psychics here. Mom wanted to ask for their help because my sister is acting strangely. Grandma says she is cursed, but my dad says that is a load of crap."

_It seems rudeness runs in family._

It was true that there were ghost hunters in the cabin. I was one of them. We worked out of Shibuya Psychic Research in Japan. Our main goal was to study paranormal activity to determine if it was caused by a spirit. Although we mainly specialize on apparitions, we can give advice on any supernatural event. The others were out being busy why I was stuck here at the base.

With a sigh, I invited him in. _I guess it would not hurt to hear the story._

"So kid, what seems to be your problem?"

The boy checked the cabin.

"I would think fake ghost hunters who conned people out of money could afford a better living area than this."

_Grr… Keep it in Mai! You do not want to get arrested for child abuse._

That's me by the way, Mai Taniyama. Ghost huntress extraordinaire!

"Why don't you sit down? Would you like some juice or oolong tea?"

The kid shook his head no.

"So why don't you tell me your name kid before insulting me more? My name is Mai."

"My name is Misoru and stop calling me kid!" He stomped his foot to add emphasis. This was a kid with a very haughty attitude that was used to having his way. I almost laughed when I realized who he reminded me of.

"Sure…" My face scrunched into a disapproving frown to cover my amusement, "Kid… Let me get a recorder and a notebook so I can take your story down."

Taking a deep breath, I walked away. _What did I do to deserve this?_

It was the end of summer, and I would be returning to school soon. I am going into my second year of high school. They say it is pretty intense. It would have been nice if we had come to the beach for a vacation.

But I was here for work…

This was not our first case at a location like this. I think my job is determined to make me afraid of the ocean. In fact, I use to love going to the beach. What teenage girl doesn't? I mean there is the hot sand sizzling beneath my feet. The sound of ocean waves caressing my ears. The scandalously clad hot college guys out on break.

Instead I am worrying about what dangerous situation could we find today.

When my new boss, Madoka Mori, came to me a few days ago telling me our client's case involved a beach, I flinched.

"What's wrong Mai?" She asked.

"I don't know. After the case of the resort, I am kind of beached out."

"Oh I don't think this will be the same." She smiled. "The activity doesn't sound nearly as exciting as your last one."

Madoka was such a lovely person. She was kind and understanding unlike my last boss Kazuya Shibuya or should I say Oliver Davis. It didn't make any difference to me since I never called him by either name. I called him Naru after Narcissus, the dude in Greek mythology who loved himself so much that he died from looking at his reflection. Or something like that. Hey it had been a couple of years since I studied world mythologies and religions.

Naru was extremely intelligent and handsome, but this made him have a huge ego. I could not stand his arrogance and rudeness most days. At one time, I thought I loved him, but now I realize that I never really knew him.

He had been undercover in Japan to search for his dead twin brother with his bodyguard Lin. Oliver's brother, Eugene, had been brutally murdered. Naru had a psychic vision of his brother's death and the location where the body was disposed. Naru is a very powerful psychometry and psychokinetic user. He is one of the few people in the world with both ESP and PK abilities.

Pondering over the past, I could not focus on finding the recorder. Instead I picked up a notebook and pencil from my room. Heading back to the living room, a thought hit me. _The kid could be here to steal the equipment._

Returning to the room, I noticed the boy had not seemed to have moved during my absence. I tried to notice if anything was stolen. Can't be too trusting of strangers, even if they are young. I sighed in relief. A_t least, I didn't have to explain a robbery on my watch to Madoka-sama._

I took a seat

I nodded, "Ok you may proceed with your tale."

"The strange happenings started a few months ago." The boy began, "Our dogs would not walk on the beach with us. If we took them with us, they would act frantic. It was like they were trying to keep us from going. We would have to drag them, whimpering the whole time so we stop taking them. Now all they do is bark in our house when we go walking."

The boy suddenly became nervous. I noticed this because of my keen investigative eye for details. He leaned back and started rocking his feet. His hands also began to make weird circular motions on his legs.

Misoru said, "Around the same time we started hearing stories about strange sightings of a blue lady wearing an old kimono. People said she was a ghost. My friend's said that she preyed on unsuspecting tourists who went to the beach early in the morning. Others said that she was a woman who had been killed in some horrific manner and now searches for her body."

The boy paused.

"My sister, Miaka, is a high school student. She's about your age. It is common for the older kids to hang out at the beach after hours. Miaka and her friends frequently went to the parties on the shore. Something happened there one night, but she never said what. Around the same time, the teens in the area stopped going to the beach during the day and night. Now my sister is acting strangely. She starts saying abnormal things in a unusual tone of voice. There is also rapping noises at night in the house. My parents think she is doing it, but I hear it. It doesn't come from her room, and my room is next to hers. I never her leave her bedroom at night."

I decided it was time for some questions. If his sister was a teenage girl, she might have latent psychokinetic abilities that might cause poltergeist-like occurrences.

"So is it for this reason you believe your sister is possessed? Do you find that she in dangered?"

He scowled at me, "I am coming to that point. Don't interrupt me."

I thought, _Naru's body might be in England but his spirit still haunts me. _The boy sat with poise and confidence of someone twice his age. Y_ep! He is definitely a Naru-mini. _

Continuing with his story, he said, "The most recent incident that has everyone worried is that one night at our house, my sister almost died. I was the one that found her. I woke hearing this gasping, screaming sound. I called her name, but she never answered me. I snuck into her room. She was gargling as if she was drowning. I started shouting for my parents. By the time they got there, she had stopped breathing. Dad had to do CPR on her, which made her cough up water. When we asked her about it, my sister told us she had a dream of drowning. She wore a kimono and something had pulled her into the water. Grandma said it was a bad omen, and spirits were cursing the family."

He looked at me straight, "The part that scared me was when she said she tried to call for help, but nobody ever came."

_That does not sound like something a human could do! I wish Naru was here. He would know whether it was a ghost or not. _

I was so involved with thinking about the kid's story that I didn't notice the static on the radio until someone said, "Mai!"

"Oh!" I jumped up in fright with my tablet and pencil in a defensive stance.

The boy didn't move. He gave me a glare.

The voice continued. It was Madoka. "Mai, are you there? Over."

"Some ghost hunter. You were frightened by your own instrument." He laughed at me.

_ You are too young to have this attitude. From now on you will be called Naru-chibi!_

"Mai?!" said the exasperated Madoka. .

"Yes?" I said.

"Call the police! Then get over to the shore quick! We found a dead body in the water!"


	3. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2: Something in the Water**_

Sunlight sizzled my skin as I stood watching the police section off the beach with yellow tape. An ocean breeze flirted with me. It played tag with my hair and kissed my face before traveling down to ruffle my skirt. The endless sapphire sea stretched into the horizon until it met the clear, crisp sky. The line was dotted by sailboats and surfers.

The day would have been beautiful, but some unfortunate soul had died, spoiling the scene.

I drew my arms around me. Even though it was a hot day, I felt a chill.

Tourists paused to take pictures of the scene. TV trucks from local news stations were beginning to arrive. My old boss would have turned tail at the first sight of the media.

The girl's body appeared to be sleeping. That is how I remembered it when I reached the beach. At first, I thought the others had been playing a joke on me. She did not seem real. The dead were not suppose to be so serene and ethereal. If not for her chopped black hair tangled with pieces of debris and seaweed, she would look like a doll.

I had knelt down to check her pulse, noticing the purplish discoloration around her mouth.

That is when I truly knew the woman on the sand was dead.

The dead girl was a bit older than me, probably college age.

My body was still shaking.

She was a classic beauty, a very soft bone structure. Her kimono was lovely. It was white with limbs and leaves. An emerald silk obi held it together. The lower part of the body lay in the part of the sand where the waves would rush up. Her feet were bare.

Years from now I would remember her. I did not want to remember, but every detail of that moment was etched permanently in my mind.

It seemed she had washed up, but this was a populated area.

_Why had nobody noticed it before now?_

Clearly she was no swimmer. Her lips being discolored meant she must have died from lack of oxygen. Did people who downed get purple lips? It seems that I remembered something about dead bodies sinking until they fill up with gas, and eventually float to the surface. Then their body is distorted.

_Naru's brother had been weighted down. His body never got the chance to float and be found. _

Two uniform cops and a plain clothes detective interrogated the rest of my group. The cops were taking preliminary statements from Madoka and the others, since they were the ones to find the body. It was my turn next because I was the one to call the police. They were being very slow because they were waiting for the ME and the CSI unit to get there.

Madoka Mori was so wonderful. She told me to sit out as the others took the police questions. Right now she stood with strawberry blonde hair shifting in agitation, looking very much the angel even though she was angry. Ayako Matsazuki and Osamu Yasuhara stood beside her. John Brown, a priest, was in the distance. Another member of our group, Houshou Takigawa was not staying with us. His band was playing here and he was rooming with them. He would be here later tonight.

_ Maybe the girl was murdered?_

During our last case on a beach, the ghosts killed people, and the bodies had been found in the water.

_ Was this the same?_

Her chopped hair was odd. It looked she had a fight with a lawnmower. No girl would have her hair cut that way.

C_ould a human be responsible?_

The detective went to each member. A uniformed officer walked with him. At one point, the detective left to make a phone call. He seemed to talk for a while.

Before returning to question the other, he scrutinized the area. Looking around, he spotted me. Apparently some idea hit him because after staring at me, he moved in my direction.

When the detective came to me, he bowed low and said, "I am Detective Watanabe."

"Mai Taniyama."

He flipped out a notebook. "So you were one of the first ones to call the police? " He did not wait for an answer before asking, "Were you with the others, Miss Taniyama, when they found the body?"

"No sir"

"What were you doing at the time?

"I was in the cabin waiting." I figured it was best not to mention the boy. Naru-chibi had left when I got the call.

"How did you know about the body?"

"I got a call on the walkie-talkie that they had found the body

"Why were your friends on the beach?"

"We were working."

"Exactly what type of work do you do?"

I figured ghost hunting may not be the best answer so said, "Paranormal Research. We are with the Shibuya Office."

He grunted.

"So why were you here doing research?"

I did not want to divulge information of our client but I figured it was ok to give the gist of the case, "A shop owner on the beach called us to investigate the local paranormal activity that was scaring his customers away. Apparently a ghost has been seen wondering the beach accompanied by stories of swimmers who say they were grabbed from underneath the water by hands that pulled them under then would let go suddenly."

As I got frustrated as I spoke. The cop did not appear to be listening.

He had that spaced

I decided to be more enthusiastic in my discussion.

"There have been a number of accidents that do not seem paranormally based, but given the other activity it is possible they were caused by a spirit. A parasail cable broke causing a girl and her boyfriend to fall into the water. The girl is still in the hospital. Boats stop running for no apparent reason. They just drift in the ocean. Nothing can be found wrong with the motors…"

No matter what I said, the cop just smirked at me then jotted down something in his notebook.

He clearly did not believe me, which I was fine with... BUT did he have to act in such a condescending way?

After a couple more rounds of COMPLETE BS, he switched gears.

"So I have heard that it is common for your group to find corpses."

I narrowed my eyes while using the voice I normal reserved for Naru when I was angry, "Exactly what is that supposed to mean?!"

"It seems that you found the bodies of missing people on a few of your cases. You even witnessed a couple of apparent suicides. And your group personally saw to it that the remains of someone murdered in a lake were discovered. It seems death follows you people."

"And?"

"Apparently your boss called in divers recently to search a lake where a body had been found. It seemed he had amazingly good insight to where it was located."

Shaking, I tried to contain my rage over his questions.

My feelings must have been visible because Ayako walked over. She said, "Is there a problem, Mai?"

"No problem." I wanted to tell her how much a jerk this guy was being.

Ayako stood eye to eye with him, "Officer is Mai under arrest?"

"No."

"Well she wasn't here on the beach when the body was found and she is a minor. If you have asked her the basic questions, your interview should be over. Anything more needs to be done in the presence of a guardian."

_ Wow! Ayako was my hero!_

I gave her a brilliant smile.

The cop grunted. Looking between us, he must have figured he would not get anything more from us.

"I have more questions." He complained.

Ayako folded her arms, "Actually we would like to go. It is incredibly hot out here and we have been out here for a couple of hours. I would like to take her to our cabin. This has been a trying experience for her, and she should rest.

By that time, the others had wondered up.

Madoka looked evenly at the cop. "You said you had a couple of questions to ask Mai. I thought I told you the girl was to be left alone after the initial interview since she was not with us."

Madoka ignored the cop.

"If you want to play ball, I can. My company is an international research institute. We are very familiar with dealing with authorities in many different countries. I can have a team of lawyers here at any time."

He frowned at her.

"You mess with my people, sir. I tend to take it personally." She gave a cool look that would have made Naru proud.

Apparently the cop didn't like to be talked down to in such a disrespectful way. The police officer glanced between us.

"You guys are from Tokyo, right?"

"Yes," We said in unison.

He said, "Since you guys are working here, I don't think it should be a problem, but don't leave town. Is this the number I can reach you at?"

He showed the number to our cabin.

"Yes sir."

"I think that should be all." He left.

Yasuhara commented, "Well he certainly needs to work on his charm."

"Mai, what were you getting so angry about?"

"He implied that we had something to do with the murder, and then brought up that we conveniently stumbled across dead bodies all the time. He even brought up Gene."

Ayako blew up.

John tried to calm her.

When we reached the cabin, I showed Madoka my notes on the little boy who had come earlier. She took the sheet, but acted like she was not really listening. She had been quiet since I mentioned Gene.

A few hours later Madoka-sama came to me. She said, "You know what we need to do?"

"What?"

"Go shopping! We need to get our mind off of this for a bit. Takigawa will be here tonight. We need our minds fresh. John and Yasuhara can stay here and keep their eyes on things. Let us girls go out."

She practically radiated with light energy as she spoke.

My old boss would never have taken me shopping before a case.

So the split from the guys.

The stores were almost like a ghost town.

I should have thought it was suspicious, her enthusiasm. It turned out the trip was for research purposes. She dragged Ayako and me all over the town. We asked the clerks about the strange happenings and the tourist industry.

During this time, I ask Madoka if we could track down the family of the boy who came to the cabin. Madoka thought about it. "It might be a good idea to question this family for more information. Do we have his contact info?"

"Uh, well. I got his name and that he lived closed by."

"Well at least there is that. It will be up to you to find out about this family. I think you should ask Yasuhara. He has excellent resource gathering skills, but you need to work on that area. Next time remember to get more information."

I bowed with tears in my eyes. "Thanks Mori-sama. So sorry for being so pathetic."

She laughed and waved a hand, "Everyone has to start somewhere."

Ayako snickered too.

After we had finished in town, Ayako drove us back to the cabin.

John and Yasu came out to help to take the groceries as we took in our shopping bags. We had just gotten done when a car drove up.

Takigawa jumped out.

"Monk!" I yelled and waved.

"Long time no see, my peeps!" He said as he high fived John and did a fist punch with Yasuhara.

He ruffled my hair.

"So what is the situation?"

I quickly explained.

When I finished, Monk declared, "Sounds fishy!"

_Really?_

He hooted. "Do you get it? Fishy because we are by the water."

"Monk that was soooo corny!"

Yasuhara added, "Don't you feel 'gill-ty' for saying that?"

Those two were a strange pair. They practically died from their own laughter. Even John joined them. They only stopped because the Monk and Takigawa started to hiccup.

_Guys are weird!_

Ayako and Madoka fixed our meal.

We ate outside on the picnic table by the steps that led to the beach. It was that perfect time in the afternoon when the sun still hangs over the sky but the coolness of the night starts creeping in. Over the sukiyaki, steamed rice, miso soup, fruit, and salad, we talked about the case. We would no longer be able to investigate the beach north of the cabin because the police had blocked it off.

Once the dishes were cleaned and we stood on the porch, Madoka said, "Ok! Not much has happened around the grounds so we are going to shift our focus solely on the beach."

She eyed the sky before explaining, "A beach is a hard place to set up equipment, especially one that is public, so I brought some tents along. I think some of us should camp out there with the equipment, tonight. We still have time to set up. Ayako go to the house and provide us some charms for the tents. Takigawa, I know you have not toured the place so would you and Yasuhara go collect the equipment on the grounds and bring over there." She pointed to a spot on the south side of the beach. It was a fishing pier that lay some distance from the cabin.

"Mai, Father John, and I will start putting up the tents."

Everyone went to their duties.

The sun started to set over the ocean creating a dance of colors across the sky. Gold, purple, orange, pink, and blue highlighted the most magnificent view I had ever seen. Fog had also started rolling through the area. The lightening made the beach seem magical, a view and place to be shared with someone special. I imagined being here with Gene. If he had been here, I would definitely kiss him.

That was all it took for my mind to switch to from day dreams to being depressed.

Brooding silently, I was lost in my thoughts when John shouted, "Mai!"

"Uh?!"

"Mai, I am going to see what is keeping Ayako. She should be out here by now."

I just now noticed that Madoka had disappeared. "John where is Madoka?" I asked.

"She left with Yasuhara and Monk after they brought the equipment. Something about one of the cameras being damaged, and they did not want to move it."

_They came here?_

Regarding my surroundings, I suddenly saw all the cameras and sound recorders beside me.

Dong!

I fell.

Apparently I needed to pay more attention to what was happening around me. I had no even heard those two loud mouths approach.

John ran down the beach. Night was starting to fall fast.

Returning to work, I turn to pull the zipper on the second tent when I realized the fog had gotten really thick. I barely could see my hands.

_This is not normal!_

The air was cold and dead. I hugged myself in protection against the damp chill. It seeped through my clothes.

_Why does this always happen to me?_

I was not sure where the others were at. The fog had gotten really bad and my penlight from my pocket. Madoka says to be prepared in all situations.

I saw the fishing pier in the distance. The lights were working. _Maybe I should wait there for someone to come for me…_

Walking closer I saw under the lights a girl stood on the pier.

Her long brown hair blew in the wind.

"Who is that?" I mumbled.

I yelled, "Hey!"

She moved forward, acting like she did not hear me.

_What is she doing?_ I thought.

Something felt wrong so I hurried forward.

As I made my way to her, she turned and looked at me. Her face was strangely blank. I started running. Her hand reached out toward me before she fell back into the water.

I screamed.

Somewhere in the distance, my friends started yelling from the beach. They must have been closer to me than I thought.

When I got to the edge, I didn't see anything at first but then I saw a figure warped under the water. It twisted and spun right under the surface. No ripples were made as if some unseen force was in control.

Without hesitating, I kicked off my shoes and dived in.


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**: This POV is from the girl Mai saw fall into the water last chapter.

**_Chapter 3: The Girl on the Pier _**

_OC's POV_

I stood at the pier with no memory of how I got there. My mind was clouded by a dull fog hindering my thinking abilities.

The air was much colder than it should have been for summer.

The salty air blew my clothes. Somehow I was dressed in a bright yellow, red, and blue kimono that was unfamiliar to me yet I recognized it. _The red does not match the other colors._

_Wait..._

_Is that blood?_

Behind me, a person called, but I could not turn around. It was like my body was not my own. I was at the mercy some unseen force.

"It" made me walk slowly to the edge of the pier, away from the voice behind me.

I fought.

Every step made my heart sink.

My body was betraying me.

I finally reached to the edge where boats could dock. There was no railing.

_Somebody please save me…_

Looking down at the water, I watched in horror as countless bodies began rising in the water. Their eyes were closed. Their hair was short and dark like mine. All had kimonos ranging in a wide variety of colors and designs. Eventually they became stacked, three or four girls deep.

The girls in the water opened their eyes.

They reached upwards in my direction.

My mind screamed over and over, but my mouth would not open.

_Can anyone hear me?_

I turned, unsure if it was from my own control or not.

A girl about my age was frantically moving in my direction. She had short brown hair, lighter than mine.

I could not call out to her or warn her.

When she had almost reached me, I felt a pull. Hands and arms tangled around me.

Hopefully she saw the message in my eyes: _Please help me…._

My hand reached toward her. Then I fell backwards.

As I dropped, a shriek pierced the air.

My body felt the pain when I hit the waters' surface. Dark water rushed over my head. I struggled, trying to swim. The functions were coming back to me where at last I could move my arms and legs.

Swimming to the upwards, I felt something over my head. It felt like the time I got caught under an overturned boat. I panicked. My air was extremely low.

_I am not going to give up!_

I tried to swim out from under the object. The water was pitch black and freezing.

Through the dark, a round shaped glowed white. It looked at me and smiled, as the white globe materialized into a human head with black holes for eyes.

I screamed, chocking on water.

Quickly losing oxygen, I thrashed in my last efforts to get up to the surface.

_Can't anyone help me?_

In a low eerie way, a voice in my head said, "Miaka, you will be mine."

An arm or something grabbed me. In terror, I lashed out, right before everything disappeared.


	5. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four: The Boy's Sister**_

_Mai's POV_

When my body hit the water, all I could think about was finding the mysterious girl.

I desperately swam around; seeking her somewhere in and under the dark waves, but there was no trace of her to be found. I floated to the surface wondering how could she have vanished so fast. After diving in, the girl had not resurfaced. Had she swam away? On the pier, she had a glazed look in her eyes that defied the thought of her being capable of swimming.

There were no ripples or bubbles to hint at signs of struggle under the water's surface.

Not enough time had passed for her to have drowned. Plus if she had drowned her body would probably float.

_Maybe she was hiding under the pier or in the distance? _

"Hey are you out there? I'm trying to help you!" I yelled as a strong wave hits me by surprise. I catch a handful of salt water in my mouth, making me cough. It's so dark that I can't see anything.

_I should go get help._ At least that is what a sane person would have thought. Thinking straight was out of the question the instant I dived in after the girl. It was not very smart of me to be swimming alone at night in the ocean. Not to mention that I was in proximity to the area where the dead girl had been found earlier today.

At first, I was not alarmed. The ocean did not particularly scare me, but my mind conjured pretty intimidating ideas about things that could be swimming in the murky waters as I floated in the shadow of the pier.

I could not let this girl die like the other one.

Sure I was scared, but I had already witnessed enough death around me to motivate me to be a hero.

I closed my eyes against all distractions and concentrated on hearing over the normal roar of the ocean. There was just enough light from the pier to make cast odd shadows in the water that confused me while I searched.

Then I heard it.

There was a terrible, sucking noise somewhere off to my left. The sound was frightening when I focused on it, an unnatural thing.

Diving down in the direction of the sound, I swam under the water. It was not long before I could sense something about my size squirming

I reached out to grab it. And got knocked in the face by what felt like an elbow. Water rushed into my mouth as I gasped, forgetting I was underwater.

Mentally projecting thoughts toward the girl, I said, _Hey trying to save you! Don't fight me._

The movement in the water lessened. _Did that actually work?_ Then I noticed the figure was not moving at all. _Maybe she blacked out?_

I reached again and was able to take hold of the girl. One of my arms circled her body. I used the other one to swim toward the surface. She was incredibly heavy. We were deeper than I had imagined.

Our heads broke through water at the same time. I gasped in the fresh air. My muscles tense and hurting from the exertion. The ocean had more waves then it had the moment when I jumped in. It was hard to keep the girl from slipping away.

The crash of the surf roared in the waterlogged shells of my ears. My lungs burned as I struggled to stay afloat. My legs and arms were starting to feel a bit of pressure.

"Hey are you ok?" I said to the girl whose head I was trying to keep above water. Her head just bobbled in the water, and she did not reply.

I knew I had to get her to shore fast, but unexpectedly I was unsure which direction to swim toward.

The water was really turbulent. There also was a slight drizzle. Where was the pier? I could not see the lamplight anymore. Everything was pitch black. Even the moon and stars had disappeared. I kept flipping my feet, treading water to stay afloat.

Praying that my psychic powers could lead me through the darkness; I slowly made my way in the direction I assumed was the beach. The waves were large enough to bat me around. My muscles weren't quite ready to do this kind of swimming while dragging the unconscious girl and keeping her head above the water.

_Seriously… Wonder Woman has NOTHING on me! Take that haters out there who said I was useless... _I picture Masako Hara and Naru sneezing.

Without warning, a pounding wave lifted us up, and I drink salt water for the second time.

For a second, I misjudged my location on the downward slide behind of the wave and almost hit a leg post from the pier.

_YES! Found you!  
_

The pier would be my guide to the beach.

It was very strange that no light shown from the beach or pier.

Suddenly, dark water rushed over my head as my body was jerked downwards. Something grabbed my foot.

I kicked. The thing disappeared and I returned to the surface once more.

A thought came to me. _What if what had grabbed my foot was a shark?_

The Jaws music started to play in my head.

"AH!" I screamed for help.

Something in the distance replied.

Voices shouted back at me, I thought I might have heard feet pounding on the wood above me.

"Help! I'm over here!"

_People are coming! Maybe this nightmare will be over.  
_

_ Wait… Why didn't I call for help earlier?_

Completely creeped out, I held the girl tighter and made my way to a spot I thought the people could see me. Hopefully my sense of direction could be counted on. I still could not see where I was going.

Something hit my side.

I froze.

_Sharks?_

I knew I had to swim, but I did not want to attract a shark's attention. Sharks were attracted to blood and movement I seem to recall.

A pressure on my shoulders forced my body back underneath the water . It was so suddenly I did not manage to get a good breathe before going under. I also let go of the girl went under.

I clawed at whatever was holding me then stopped. I was paralyzed. My mind fought desperately to break free.

_You are going to die. _The thought kept repeating itself in my mind.

Almost delirious from the limited oxygen still trapped in my lungs, I stilled, mentally saying goodbye.

_ Naru…. I would have loved to see you again. Gene will I find you in the afterlife? _

I was pretty disoriented, but it felt like a something large had come up behind me. Thick tentacles wrapped around my waist. The iron weight that was pushing me down, fell away, and a new force began pulling me in a different direction.

I could suddenly move so I reacted by thrusting my head back as hard as I could, and was rewarded when my skull made contact with something hard. The grip the thing had on my slackened and I spun around.

I could see! The shadowy figure in the water had clothes.

_A man?  
_

The things that were wrapped around me were warm and felt like skin... _Like human a__rms?_

Apparently someone had jumped in and tried to grab me. The arms returned to my waist and began to pull me upward.

As my head broke, I took a deep breath of fresh air.

"Mai?! Can you hear me?"

It was Monk!

I couldn't speak, of course – my lips, I was sure, were turning blue.

He apparently didn't need an answer because he was already gathering me to him and swimming toward shore.

I noticed that the world was a lot brighter than it had been.

Finally, somewhat dazed I said, "Bou-san"

"Hang on Mai. I will get you to the beach."

"But there was a girl."

"Osamu-san has her."

That is when I saw a another pair of people a couple of strokes behind Monk.

Takigawa dragged me to shore. It wasn't like I could not swim… After I got enough oxygen in my system, I felt alright. Mainly it just felt good to relax, I was pretty shaken up. Plus I trusted Monk to keep me safe.

Madoka, Ayako, and John were there.

"Mai! Are you ok?"

John ran to help Yasuhara lift the other girl onto the sand.

He froze when he saw the girl's face.

"John, what is wrong?"

Ayako ran to call an ambulance and get a first aid kit.

Yasuhara replied, "She's not breathing." Takigawa jumped over to the girl and felt her pulse. Then he started the chest compressions. The only other time I had seen CPR in action was when Naru had almost died and Lin and Monk had to tried to keep his body alive until an ambulance had come.

He gave her two breaths and then started the compressions over again.

The girl started to cough water.

She then became very still.

Takigawa bent toward her face as he checked her pulse and listened for breathing.

Her eyes opened, and she screamed.

I might have screamed too if I woke after a terrifying experience to find Monk in my face. My face grew hot at the thought of Monk giving me CPR. I had never had a real kiss before so the mere thought of my first lip lock being with Takigawa scattered all my thoughts.

Madoka said reassuringly, "You are safe. Please do not be frightened."

She got on her knees beside the girl. Madoka reached out to comfort her, but the girl jerked away. When the girl sat up, I noticed that the girl was very pretty with brown hair that was almost black and a sprinkle of freckles along her nose. Her terrified eyes were dark and too big for her face.

"What hap-happened?" She stuttered, visibly trembling.

John pulled off his hoodie that he had over a shirt. It was the only dry article of clothes in the group that could be offered to the girl.

"Here you go."

"Th-Thank yyo-you."

"Kaeda?"

The girl looked at John in question. "Uh? My name is Miaka Ocho."

"I'm sorry. You seemed familiar to me." John blushed appropriately.

John's expression had a mixture a surprise and fascination as he watched the Madoka introduce the various members of SPR to the girl.

A shocking thought hit me.

I said, "Miaka? Wait, your brother is Misoru?"

Stunned, the girl asked right when Ayako returned, "How do you know that?"

Ayako announced, "An ambulance is on the way."

Miaka repeated her question.

Mai continued as if she had not been interrupted, "Because your brother asked for our help. We are ghost hunters. Misoru said you were cursed and almost drowned in your sleep."

The girl started to cry. "He is right. Something horrible is happening to me. I do not know what it is, and I can't tell you everything, but if you are psychics can you please help me?"

I shared a look with Ayako and Yasuhara.

Madoka said, "If you can't share everything with us, how are we going to be able to help you?"

The girl bowed putting her head on the ground, crying out, "Please you must help me! If you don't, I will die."

* * *

A**uthor's Note: **I have a crush on Bou-san so I like to have him rescue Mai. It is very easy for me to see him playing the knight in shining armor. Plus in the stories he saved her more the Naru did. I don't ship Mai and Monk. I think they are best friends, brother/sister… But it is fun to give Mai little romantic moments with all the guys, especially when Naru is not giving her what she needs…LMAO…

…Mai is so adorable to me and would be cute with Lin, Yasu, Monk, John, Gene, or Naru…

… Eventually I will become brave enough to start pairing up couples in my stories...


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